ITIL clearly defines the difference between a request and a service – but it is most often ignored. Software vendors and most IT organizations see the customer needs in one simplistic way – only from what the customer is asking them for – so they build self-service portals that try to organize hundreds to thousands of requests. This is great – until the customer doesn’t know what to ask for - which is most of the time!

Is it any surprise customers don’t like request portals? They are a waste of their time! It would be like going to Amazon and seeing a one line text listing for each of 100 pairs of running shoes with a “click to buy” button – only useful if you already know exactly which pair to buy. Otherwise it just makes you mad.

A SERVICE portal enables customer self-service by THINKING ABOUT THE COMPLETE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE, like:

What is this? How does it work? When doesn’t it work? How do I use it? How are others using it? Is it good for me? Does it work with my computer? What else is required? Does it work with other things I am using? What does it cost? How long does it take to get it? Are there other options that might be a better fit for me? Can I have it? It’s not working – how do I fix it?

If IT was smart, they wouldn’t like request portals either – because they don’t reduce IT’s work.

Please join us* as we clearly explain the difference between service and request, and show how a service-centric mindset along with a few core components can lead to building a beautiful, complete self-service IT experience for your customers –while also significantly reducing the work of IT.

Includes a demo of our constantly evolving view of a very advanced Employee Self-Service Portal & Catalog, built on ServiceNow.